It made sense, John thought.
As one of the four Hogwarts founders, Salazar Slytherin would never be content living like a lowly worm.
His pride wouldn't allow him to cling to life as a mere remnant, which was likely why he had disdainfully discarded his research on Horcruxes.
"Could Voldemort have learned about Horcruxes from here?" John mused. It was possible. The writings mentioned the existence of Horcruxes but didn't provide any concrete instructions.
But that wasn't John's main concern. He needed to find a way to separate a soul.
In the Slytherin Chamber, he continued his search. There was a massive amount of information stored there. No wonder Salazar Slytherin had fallen out with Gryffindor. The sheer volume of materials here far exceeded even what was in the Restricted Section of the library.
While knowledge doesn't always get better with age, Salazar Slytherin's brilliance shone through, and much of what John found was not only still relevant but utterly astonishing.
John learned a great deal, particularly increasing his understanding of souls.
"Time and souls—two untouchable taboos."
This saying had long circulated in the wizarding world. Those who dared to research either of these subjects always met tragic ends.
John decided not to return to the dormitory and instead spent the night in the chamber, sleeping there.
Like a parched sponge, he greedily absorbed the knowledge.
The next day, John left the chamber and headed off to class.
At this point, the downside of taking all the classes was becoming clear.
At 9 a.m., Divination, Muggle Studies, and Arithmancy all clashed.
John, though he had anticipated this, couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
"I wonder how Hermione is handling this."
He headed to the Great Hall and ran into Heinrich and Malfoy.
Coincidentally, Malfoy had chosen Arithmancy, and John, with a look of delight, handed him a Star Badge.
Malfoy was stunned for a moment, then ecstatic. The surprise was too sudden—he hadn't expected to be acknowledged by John so quickly.
"Pfft~ Don't get the wrong idea. I want you to wear it to class so I can listen in," John interrupted his moment of joy, explaining that he intended to use the nine interconnected badges to effectively attend multiple classes at once.
Malfoy deflated a bit, while Heinrich, eyeing the badge, said, "Give me one."
John thought about it for a moment. It wasn't unreasonable; after all, Heinrich had come all the way from Durmstrang to follow him, and his strength was well-known, making him one of the top students.
"Sure."
John took out a badge and personally pinned it on Heinrich.
Seeing this, Malfoy was overcome with jealousy and shouted, "Why does he get one so soon?"
'I was here first!'
Looking at Malfoy's sour expression, John glanced at him and said calmly, "Because he's strong."
Short and to the point. Malfoy was left speechless.
It hadn't been long since someone—who knows which fool—mentioned that John had chosen Slytherin. Heinrich had immediately challenged the Slytherin students to a duel.
The result was predictable. While Heinrich wasn't as casual about it as John, not a single Slytherin was his match.
Even Malfoy had stepped up, hoping to teach his relative a lesson, only to end up petrified in the common room for several hours.
Now, everyone in Slytherin accepted that Heinrich was second only to John in strength.
Thanks to John, Slytherin had become full of battle-hungry individuals, always ready to duel and settle things through strength.
"Strength above all."
That phrase had nearly replaced the original mantra of "pureblood" within Slytherin.
After sorting out Arithmancy, John went in search of someone who could attend Muggle Studies in his place.
Daphne eagerly volunteered, her beautiful eyes fixed on John's badge.
John handed the badge to Daphne, and she flashed a beautiful smile.
Class time was approaching, and John found himself interested in Divination. He had a prophet's blessing that had yet to be triggered, and he wondered if Divination might awaken his potential.
There were a few minor incidents during breakfast.
Because Heinrich looked like a vampire, the Weasley twins had secretly added garlic extract to his milk.
After taking a sip, Heinrich spat it out immediately, drawing his wand, ready to settle the score.
The twins, familiar with the terrain, quickly bolted before he could catch them.
"Sigh, childish," John muttered, shaking his head. He pulled out some mapo tofu-flavored ice cream from his small bag and offered it to Malfoy.
'Kekeke'
Malfoy took a bite, and his expression immediately turned as though he'd eaten something terribly disgusting.
Unfazed, John kept a straight face, telling them he was off to class.
The Divination classroom was in the Astronomy Tower, a place John had never been before.
Luckily, he had the Marauder's Map. Upon reaching the Astronomy Tower, he noticed a trapdoor above.
But just before he closed the map, he saw something curious—three Hermiones had appeared on the map at the same time.
"What the fuck? How is she present at three different locations?"
The trapdoor lowered a ladder, and as John climbed up, he noticed a few people had already arrived.
"Ah? Neville, you're early," John greeted, walking over to him.
The classroom, if it could be called that, felt more like a mix between an attic and a teahouse. There were numerous small round tables, surrounded by armchairs draped in floral patterns, and overstuffed little cushions scattered around.
Everything in the room was bathed in a hazy red light. The curtains were drawn tightly, and most of the lamps were covered with deep red scarves, adding to the suffocatingly warm atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.
A large copper kettle was boiling over a roaring fire in the fireplace, but the tea brewing inside didn't smell particularly pleasant. In fact, the overly strong aroma was almost nauseating.
John found a seat, and his gaze immediately fell upon Professor Sybill Trelawney, who was lurking in the shadows.
Her appearance was exactly what one might expect from a Divination professor, resembling a giant insect. She was gaunt, but her enormous spectacles magnified her eyes several times their normal size.
With her bizarre attire, adorned with beads, chains, bangles, and rings, she embodied the eccentric image of a scam fortune-teller in the muggle world.
John looked at her, but his thoughts were on Harry's prophecy.
This woman might seem a bit unhinged, with the characteristics of a charlatan, but in reality, she was incredibly accurate.
Professor Trelawney also noticed John. It was as if she sensed an inexplicable aura around him.
Suddenly, she stepped out of the shadows, her pace quickening as she hurried over to John.
Her enormous eyes locked onto his, and her voice carried a faint, ethereal tone—like the prelude to a fortune-teller's scam.
"Child, I sense a gift within you," she said.
The students in the classroom gasped as Professor Trelawney made her appearance. None of them had even noticed her there before.
Placing her hands gently over John's eyelids, her voice grew even more mystical, almost otherworldly.
"Relax. Try to sense, to connect. Your aura is so bright. You can see far into the future."
The other students held their breath, captivated by the scene. Following Professor Trelawney's guidance, John relaxed, and colorful visions swirled behind his closed eyes.
"Alright, child, tell me—what do you see now?" Professor Trelawney asked, releasing her hands.
With his eyes still closed, John tapped into his foresight.
"I see Hermione and the others coming in," he said.
No sooner had he spoken than the trio walked into the classroom.
The scene before them was quite odd. Harry saw Professor Trelawney, who looked like a giant beetle, standing beside John, staring at him with ...hunger?.
Professor Trelawney exclaimed, "You truly have a remarkable gift!"
Harry, confused, sneaked over to Neville to ask what was going on.
Neville, full of admiration, whispered, "John just predicted you guys walking into the classroom."
Hermione wrinkled her nose and said, "John already knew we were coming in. We ran into him in the Great Hall."
Hermione didn't believe much in this class. To her, abstract, intangible things like divination were far less reliable than what she could see with her own eyes. She thought maybe John was just playing along with Professor Trelawney for fun.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, agreeing it was likely the same.
Professor Trelawney, however, was thrilled by John's apparent "third eye" abilities. She herself was only sporadically accurate with her predictions, and when she was, people often dismissed her as a fraud.
Even among the other professors, many thought she was nothing but a charlatan.
But now, it seemed like a chance to prove herself had arrived. Eager to showcase John's potential, she continued guiding him.
"Child, you can see even further. Relax your body, and let everything flow through your third eye," she urged.
Listening to her voice, John quickly entered a strange, ethereal state, as if sensing something beyond the present moment.
In that moment, it seemed as though John saw many things.
To the others, John suddenly snapped his eyes open.
His eyes were filled with an overwhelming, suffocating white, and a palpable sense of pressure radiated from him.
"Ha!"
He grabbed Professor Trelawney's hands, making her gasp.
"At the full moon, the howl of the wolf will echo with the wail of the dog, the rat will flee, an old acquaintance from afar will return, and an unwitting soul will lose a leg. Those who violate the forbidden will be drowned by a black tide."
John's words flowed from his mouth in a near-chant, his voice filled with eerie resonance.
Everyone in the room felt a chill down their spines. Professor Trelawney hadn't expected the effect to be so intense.
When John finished, he emerged from the strange trance, blinking as he looked at Professor Trelawney, who was now breathing heavily.
"Oops! Sorry, Professor, I didn't mean to," John quickly apologized, releasing her hands.
Forcing a smile, Professor Trelawney shakily replied, "It's... it's alright, child. You did it."
The tension in the room dissipated, and the students exploded into excited murmurs.
"Being drowned by a black tide... that sounds like a death prophecy."
"John Wick just gave a death prophecy!"
"Could all of this really be true? Are we sure we're not being tricked?"
"Doesn't matter—this is John Wick we're talking about."
The chatter among the students grew louder, even drowning out Professor Trelawney's calls for order. They were unable to remain calm.
Even Hermione, who typically didn't believe in Divination, was now unsure, torn between whether it was real or fake.
Harry, having heard the mention of the dog's wail, furrowed his brow, thinking of the big black dog he had seen.
Regardless, this class had given the young wizards plenty to gossip about.
Soon enough, news of John's death prophecy spread like wildfire.
_______
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